Billy watched the ash fall as he flicked his cigarette. The cold wind blowing through his window made every wound on his face sting.
A split lip.
A cut going through his eyebrow.
A head wound.
Bruised-possibly broken ribs.
He wheezed. Okay-definitely broken ribs.
There were countless bruises as well, ones that made his body ache.
Some of the injuries were courtesy of Steve Fucking Harrington.
Max had snuck out. His father hadn't liked that.
"Respect and responsibility." Neil had hissed as he held Billy against the wall by his throat.
Then he'd sent Billy to go find Max.
He'd found her at a strangers house in the woods, with four boys and Harrington.
Billy acted like he didn't care about Max but he did, and with the heavy threat of Neil hanging over his head, he was scared.
Everything after was a red blur. He remembered the Sinclair kid trying to grab him. He'd told Max to stay away from that kid. If Neil found out...he'd kill Sinclair and maybe Max too.
Then Harrington got involved. Billy had hoped, prayed even, that Steve would stay down after the first punch, he didn't.
So he threw a second punch. King Steve got back up.
He threw a third punch and silently begged that Steve would just stay the fuck down. He didn't want to drag this out.
Steve fought back.
That's when it all went to shit.
Steve slammed Billy into the wall-just like his father did, and something in Billy's brain snapped. He was no longer fighting Steve, he was fighting his father. He grabbed a plate and swung.
A red haze had obscured his vision as he punched and punched. He was in a life and death battle. He had to win. He had to beat his dad.
Then Max drugged him. As Billy fell back with a thud, the red fading from his vision, he caught sight of Steve laying in a bloody pulp and he realised-he'd been hitting Harrington not his father.
Guilt twisted in his stomach, quickly replaced by fear as Max slammed down a nailed bat-extremely close to his crown jewels and screamed at him to say he understood.
He had whispered it, voice hoarse. Part of him proud and part of him terrified.
He'd had gone home that night without Max, and his father had nearly killed him for it.
He had been thrown against the counter tops, a heavy boot kicking him in the ribs.
"I SEND YOU OUT TO GO LOOK FOR HER AND YOU COME BACK HIGH?!" Neil had screeched as he slammed his boot into Billy ribs till Billy was coughing up blood.
He muttered an "I'm sorry sir." Not even trying to explain or defend himself. There was no point. He wasn't going to escape his father's wrath regardless.
It had been an hour of pure hell. The kicks had turned into punches, blow after blow aimed at his already messed up ribs, then at his face.
Then Neil took his belt off and used it as a whip. It lashed at Billy's back, ripping through his shirt and tearing open his skin, leaving thick red welts that dropped blood down his back. Billy desperately held back tears, this was the worst it had been for a while. Not the worst, but still pretty bad. By the time Neil finished, Billy was a bloody pulp-just like Steve had been-possibly even worse.
Billy waited until he heard the door slam and the car drive away. Then he sobbed.
________________________________
Billy kept his word. He didn't bother Max's friends again. He avoided them as much as possible. He had a routine.
Drop max at school.
Go to class and avoid Harrington.
Pick Max up.
Get slapped around by his father.
Take Max to the arcade and avoid her friends.
Hang around at the Quarry until he had to pick Max up.
Go home and get slapped some more.
Sleep and repeat.
It was a hellish existence but he was used to it.
It was his normal.
His bruised ribs still hurt-he got lucky there was no internal bleeding.
He was currently throwing up in the boys bathroom. Not how he'd planned to spend his free period.
He groaned as he spat out more stomach acid. He hadn't eaten anything all day. His jaw hurt too much. He might have to skip basketball practice today.
He cringed as he heard the door open, hoping whoever it was didn't bother him and just did their business and left.
He really didn't have the energy to deal with this today.
Luck wasn't on Billy's side. It never was.
Billy cursed under his breath as the voice spoke-because it was none other than Steve Fucking Harrington.
"Hey you okay in there?" Steve asked, he couldn't see who it was, only a pair of legs and the sound of wrenching.
"Piss off Harrington." Billy hissed. Then promptly gagged again, bringing up more stomach acid.
"Hargrove?"
"Who else." Billy snarked at the surprise in Steve's voice. Because of course he was surprised. Wasn't every day you got to see Billy Hargrove puking on his knees. Wasn't every day you got to see him weak and vulnerable.
"Are you...okay?" Steve asked awkwardly.
"Oh I'm just dandy Harrington. I looooove throwing up in a dingy school bathroom. No Harrington, I'm not okay. Do I sound fucking okay to you?"
"No need to be a bitch." Steve muttered. "Do you want me to get a nurse or something?"
"No."
"Then what do you want me to do?"
"Leave me alone?"
Steve sighed. "As much as you're an asshole, I'd feel guilty if I left you here like this."
Billy huffed out a weak, bitter laugh. "Awee how sweet of you Harrington~" he teased.
Billy passed out.
He woke up in the passenger seat of Steve's burgundy bmw. He has no idea how Steve managed to bust down the toilet door and drag him into the car.
Steve noticed that Billy was awake.
"Good you're awake, don't throw up in my car or I'll kill you."
"Like to see you try princess." Billy mumbled, but it lacked it's usual bite. He was too tired to be bitchy.
Steve rolled his eyes.
"So where are you taking me?" Billy asked, realising that they weren't heading in the direction of Cherry Lane.
"My house." Steve shrugged.
Billy blanched. "You're taking me to your house? You realise I nearly punched your lights in...and you want to take me to your house?" He asked incredulously.
"Or I can leave you on the side on the road-your choice." Steve hissed.
"Okay okay-Harrington Manor it is. Jeez." Billy relented because he really couldn't be bothered to fight with Harrington.
Billy had been joking when he called it a manor but damn-it really was a manor.
"I knew you were rich pretty boy but I didn't know you were rich rich."
"Just get inside Hargrove." Steve ground out as he unlocked the door and held it open.
Billy held his hands up in mock defence and staggered inside the house. His body aching and protesting every step. He collapsed on Steve's sofa. Black spots appearing in his vision. He groaned and squeezed his eyes shut.
Steve grabbed a bottle of water and some aspirin. He had no idea why he brought Billy to his house, or while he even gave a damn what happened to the psychotic asshole that had tried to kill him.
He handed the bottle and the painkillers to Billy, who took them with shaking hands.
Curled up on Steve's sofa, he looked so much younger and smaller. Like the seventeen year old he was.
Billy swallowed the aspirin down with the water, struggling slightly because of his jaw.
"Thanks." He rasped out, not meeting Steve's eyes.
"So you gonna tell me why you were hurling in the toilet, or why you look worse than I do? Steve asked. "Because I know I didn't hit you that hard."
Billy was hiding his face in his hair. "I don't want to talk about it."
Steve swore he could hear Billy's voice waver.
"Well I guess you can crash hear until you feel better. Just don't break anything." Steve sighed and turned to head upstairs.
"Harrington wait-"
Steve turned back. Billy was sat up, leg bouncing, and eyes darting nervously.
"What do you want Hargrove?"
"To...To apologise. For beating you up...I wasn't trying not kill you...not really...I mean-I didn't know it was you-I forgot where I was...who I was fighting...I just....I'm sorry okay? But you did throw me into a table." Billy rambled.
"You smashed a plate over my head." Steve deadpanned. Definitely the worse apology he'd received but what did he expect from Billy Hargrove.
"Fair point...look...I know saying sorry won't fix things...I was panicking okay-Max snuck out while I was looking after her, then I find her at a strangers house in the forest with a bunch of boys, one of which is a lot older than her-and Max is a little shit but she's still my responsibility-and fuck if he knew where she was he'd have gone ballistic, so I was panicking, I just wanted to take her home, but then that Sinclair kid got in the way-and I know it was wrong to get violent with a kid but I was freaking out okay! Then you started throwing punches and just-I lost it...I forgot it was you that I was fighting, I-I was scared...he was going to kill me if I didn't bring her home..."
Steve had been stunned into silence by Billy's tangent, he was shocked to see tears running down the younger's face.
"Billy...who's he?" Steve asked softly, taking on a much gentler tone, because now he was worried, now he was understanding. That maybe Billy wasn't such an asshole, wasn't the real bully, that maybe Billy was a victim too, maybe Billy needed help and just didn't know how to ask for it.
Billy sniffled, hiding his face with his hair again, those blonde curls that Steve hasn't even realised were slightly matted with blood from a cut on the back of Billy's head.
"My father." He whispered, in a small voice. The smallest voice Steve had ever heard come from Billy's mouth. It didn't suit him. Billy was big and loud and full of personality.
The Billy in front of his was tired, broken and quiet.
Steve felt his chest get tight and his heart stop.
"Billy...does your dad hit you?" Steve asked.
"Doesn't everyone's dad hit them?" Billy echoed in a whisper.
"No. They don't." Steve murmured as he knelt so he was level with the blonde. He reached out to cup Billy's shoulder, he didn't expect Billy to flinch. Which confirmed his suspicions.
Billy Hargrove was being abused.